Decriminalization of Marijuana

On Feb. 10, 2015, Bill Berger and Matt Arentsen led a roundtable discussion at the Hospitality Law Conference in Houston, Texas. Speakers and attendees at the conference represented a broad spectrum of hospitality industry...more

On November 4, 2014, Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults aged 21 and over. With passage of the measure, Alaska joined Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and the...more

The dramatic inconsistency between federal and state law with regard to the use of marijuana may mean that employers with zero tolerance policies for marijuana use will face an increasing likelihood of litigation over the...more

Efforts to legalize marijuana secured major victories last Election Day when voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. approved laws allowing for the recreational use of a plant previously touted as the "evil weed" by the...more

In this week’s mid-term election on November 4, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia became the latest jurisdictions to pass referendums decriminalizing the recreational possession and use of small amounts of...more

On November 4, 2014, voters approved a law legalizing recreational marijuana use in the District of Columbia. D.C. joins Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington in approving marijuana for recreational use....more

On November 4, 2014, Oregon joined Colorado and Washington when voters approved a state initiative legalizing the recreational use of marijuana (Alaska passed a similar law the same day). As of July 1, 2015, it will no longer...more

Marijuana laws are undergoing a quick and radical transformation in the U.S. Currently, 20 states plus the District of Columbia allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons. Two states — Washington and Colorado — have...more

Whether driven by new laws or technology, companies and individuals always push the limits of the law at the beginning. Obvious examples like Napster come to mind, as well as the more dated example of the VCR. Out in...more

Details from Each Chamber:
HOUSE -
The House worked through the Calendar this week, giving third reading to various bills on Tuesday. During the Majority Caucus meeting, the Speaker told the members that both...more

As states, including California, continue to grapple with the medical marijuana/decriminalization question, scientific evidence continues to trickle in concerning the negative health effects of marijuana use. According to...more

SB 1262 is the bill to watch for marijuana reform as it is the only strong contender for passage. The leading decriminalization effort was pushed to 2016 for money and voter turnout reasons, and no other well-funded (or well...more

With an established track record of measured success in other states, the backers of the marijuana decriminalization initiative most likely to pass in California called a halt to the effort, as this Los Angeles Times article...more

The beginning of 2014 has brought many new laws into effect and we have written on a number of them. But few laws have received more mainstream media exposure than Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana. Of more...more

On Jan. 1, recreational marijuana officially went on sale in Colorado, marking the first state in the Union to permit the recreational sale and use of marijuana. For the last year — following the passage of Amendment 64,...more

Last week the Colorado Supreme Court decided to review a 2013 appellate court decision holding that Colorado employers may lawfully terminate employees for their off-duty use of medical marijuana even if they are not impaired...more

Drug-free workplace policies are in place to help ensure that employees come to work ready and able to work, and that they don’t endanger others while they are working. But beyond that, the issues become more complex, and...more

Employers are not required to accommodate an employee’s current use of illegal drugs, including marijuana. Moreover, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an employer can prohibit the illegal use of drugs (including...more

Finally, after almost one year of planning, debate, and hearings, Washington State adopted new regulations related to the growth, sales, and regulation of marijuana. Residents of Washington at last have the information they...more